Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: Sudden market jolt gives way to tentative calm
Markets started wild as recession fears rose, yet became more orderly as last week progressed. Will the calm remain?
7 mins
Review of the week: A seismograph for US economic tremors
Stock markets around the world are being rocked as investors take fright about whether America is headed for recession in the coming months. Yet why is Japan the epicentre?
8 mins
Review of the week: Time to cut?
After months of waiting, there’s a strong chance that interest rates may fall in the UK this week. Across the Atlantic, the longed-for cuts won’t be till the autumn, if markets are correct.
6 mins
Review of the week: Biden bows out
After weeks of pressure, President Joe Biden has abandoned his bid for re-election. Will there be a battle for the Democratic nomination at next month’s party convention in Chicago, or will his successor be coronated quickly?
7 mins
Review of the week: Is the door opening to us rate cuts?
Political violence in the US is overshadowing last week’s big moves in the biggest US stocks, and widespread gains for smaller stocks too.
6 mins
Review of the week: Labour waltzes to victory
Sometimes polls are right and sometimes polls are wrong. Last week, we saw classic examples of both.
5 mins
Review of the week: The wave
The right-wing Rassemblement National was the big winner in the first round of French elections, but the most conclusive vote comes this weekend. Before then, the UK votes on its own Parliament.
7 mins
Review of the week: Political football
France goes to the polls for the first round of voting, the two candidates for the White House spar and the Euro knockout phase begins.
6 mins
Review of the week: Getting ahead of the Fed
The US Federal Reserve rows back on the potential for interest rate cuts even as inflation improves. Meanwhile, the French election also reverberates through bond markets.
7 mins
Review of the week: The year of the election heats up
The Year of the Election is already providing warning signs to expect the unexpected. Even when outcomes aren’t a huge surprise, painful (if temporary) pitfalls may lie ahead.
7 mins
Review of the week: The pathetic fallacy
Uncomfortable weather hangs over the UK and its markets as everyone waits for a sign of summer.
7 mins
Review of the week: Snap election, new policies
With the UK heading to the polls sooner than expected, the government announces policies that resonate with older voters. Meanwhile, disappointing inflation may have kiboshed a summer rate cut.
5 mins
Vive le domestique
Tour de France glory for a Welshman gets head of multi-asset investments David Coombs pining for what could have been and also reminds him to be grateful for team players.
3 mins
Tariff tangle
Trade threats and tech troubles have made investors nervous, but economies around the world remain healthy and relatively vibrant. Our chief investment officer, Julian Chillingworth, says markets are likely to remain rocky, but that should provide opportunities.
4 mins
Common wealth
Could a rejuvenated commonwealth be the basis for a wider post-Brexit trading bloc? It would need strong, far-sighted leaders to bring it about, argues head of multi-asset investments David Coombs.
3 mins
Disentangling the social media spider web
As social media giants are increasingly forced to reveal how they are using people’s private data, users may start to have second thoughts about the benefits of an interconnected world, argues our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs.
3 mins
Me, myself and iPhone...
Obliging people’s vanity is a good investment strategy argues multi-asset assistant fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte. But beware of fickle fashion.
4 mins
Murder in the middle
Be unassailable in what you do or be the cheapest in the joint, because if you’re neither you’re nothing, warns David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments.
3 mins
Putting up with some insurance
You never buy insurance hoping you’ll be able to claim on it, but you buy it all the same argues our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs.
3 mins
The other ‘Beast from the East’
With cold winds blowing in from the Arctic, and Brussels too, our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs notes that visibility on the UK outlook is getting worse.
2 mins
Volatility revisited
After a rocky start markets have since settled, but possibly not for long. Our chief investment officer, Julian Chillingworth, looks ahead.
4 mins
What will the year of the dog bring?
As China celebrates the coming of the Year of the Dog, our head of asset allocation research Edward Smith explains why the pace of growth in China matters for investors everywhere. Happily, we don’t expect any nasty bites.
4 mins
When inflation gets personal
Fears of inflation have spooked markets, but should you be worried? Rathbones have created a personal inflation calculator to help you see how your personal experience compares with the headlines.
2 mins